


Deviate

by TheEvilAuthoress



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 10:03:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3973969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEvilAuthoress/pseuds/TheEvilAuthoress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sinbad didn’t expect to see the enigmatic Yunan again, much less under these circumstances. What the actual fuck?!</p><p>At least he has Rurumu who actually knows something about raising a child. But...looking at the rest of his travelling companions...this kid is gonna grow up twisted as hell.</p><p>[AKA the story of Magi a la Al-Thamen never got their hands on Judar.]</p><p>**On hiatus until plot points work themselves out and I feel I can confidently write it this verse again**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Step One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been wanting to write something for Magi for a while now, but can’t seem produce anything beyond weird canon-complaint HakuJu nonsense. (Not surprising in light of the undesirable turn the manga has taken.) Not sure how HakuJu will worm it’s way into this one, but I’ll probably manage it.

He didn’t arrive in time to save the parents, but the child, at least, he kept out of Al-Tharmen’s grasp. He’s only glad he had the sense to listen to the foreboding feeling that had been floating around him for nearly the past year, growing only stronger with time.

He’s also glad Ugo warned him the last time he’d been at the Sacred Palace.

_“Al Tharmen has infiltrated this world. Surely, I fear, they seek out one of the Magi to help fulfill their wishes...”_

And he’s eternally grateful to the flow of the rukh, eagerly flocking to their newborn beloved Magi. Without the rukh’s guidance, he knows he never would have found the boy.

Really, he’s just glad he got here in time.

With a heavy sigh, Yunan looks away from the scene of the once peaceful cottage strewn with blood and the dolls of Al Tharmens’ fake bodies to the bundle in his arms.

Ruby red eyes blink up at him from a chubby face framed by a messy shock of black hair, blissfully ignorant of the events that have transpired.

“Now then...” the Magi hums pleasantly, smiling warmly at the infant. “What to do with you...?”

* * *

“Hey~! Sinbad~!”

Sinbad -- 15, conqueror of two dungeons, first dungeon conqueror of the world, and owner of the newly established Sindria Trandia Company -- looks up from the crates of goods he and his team unload from the dock at the friendly call.

“Yunan!”

The reply is laced with more surprise than glee, as the blond man with the impossibly long braid _flies_ toward Sinbad on on what he’d previously thought to be the traveler's _walking stick_ , one arm wrapped securely around a child -- toddler, really -- with a braid just as ridiculously long but black as night.

“Long time no see,” Yunan smiles as he hovers closer. “You look well.”

“Yeah, you too.” Sinbad blinks off some of the surprise and regathers his wits, but not quite enough to consider making a wisecrack about the kid, or answer Ja’far’s grumpy inquiring as to whether two know each other. “What are you doing here?” he asks instead.

“I have a favor to ask,” the blonde magician, Sinbad deduces -- has to be a magician -- states calmly and floats closer to the ground.

The child in his arms squirms and yawns, twisting to regard the new faces with half open eyes, before turning back to the magician with a petulant whine, “Are we there yet~?”

“He’s becoming quite the handful,” Yunan smiles, still addressing Sinbad, as he sets the sleepy child on its feet. Yunan himself remains mysteriously perched in the air.

That should have been Sinbad’s first clue.

“Always wanting to run about and explore; he’s quite insistent actually,” the man chuckles with the air of a fond but worn father. “Ah, but I’m afraid there’s not much scenery for a child his age where I live--”

That should have been Sinbad’s second.

“--would you mind looking after him for me? He doesn’t have any parents to speak of.”

Two seconds after the request, Sinbad’s brain finally processes it.

“WHAT?!”

The strangled sound is all he can produce. Sinbad hadn’t expect to see the enigmatic traveler Yunan again, much less under these circumstances. What the actual fuck?!

This is SO NOT the kind of favor Sinbad would agree to. But seeing how Hinahoho and Rurumu are already cooing over the toddler, and Yunan is hovering away with a cheerful, “Thank you, Sinbad! I hope we meet again!” Sinbad is stuck with the kid.

At least he has Rurumu who actually knows something about raising a child. But...looking at the rest of his travelling companions -- Ja’far, still prone to angry (murderous) outbursts; Vittel and Mahad, the other two ex-assassins, one a bit ditzy and the other less than expressive; Hinahoho, truly a big softy under the huge exterior (probably the most normal); Rurumu, with her interesting ideas on how to handle motherhood; and Kikiriku, the infant already nearing Ja’far’s height -- this kid is gonna grow up twisted as hell.

(In another life, Judar would have grown up even more twisted than his current fears; but Sinbad doesn’t know that.)

(In this life, Judar has the chance to live a normal life.

...Well, as normal as this bunch can get.)

“Ah, hell,” Sinbad groans, dragging a hand through his hair as he stares at the child with ridiculously long hair and deep red eyes. “What am I gonna do with you?”

* * *

Judar, as it turns out the kid’s name is, is only four and his braid already reaches his knees. Sinbad almost wants to not trust the kid from that fact alone, but it’s silly, he reasons, not to trust someone just because their hair should be impossibly long.

Well, the kid isn’t normal by any stretch of the word, not even batting an eye as the person who presumably raised him the last four years all but abandoned him to the care of another. Then he promptly demands to carried and clambers onto Hinahoho’s shoulders without a fear in the world.

Yeah, that kid is not normal.

At least, Sinbad quickly discouraged Judar from calling him “uncle,” and offered up the nicknamed _Sin_ when _Sinbad_ was a stretch of syllables Judar couldn’t quite master. So far the rest of his companions have been labeled _Mama_ _Ruru_ , _Papa_ _Hoho_ , _Kiki_ , _Viti_ , _Maha_ , and _Jaha_.

Judar hasn’t mastered the _f_ sound yet.

Ja’far was not pleased.

Judar does appear normal in his curiosity at the new surroundings, eyes wide with the wonder of youth once the sleep finally shakes away. And then he babbles like any excited toddler, with slurred words that no but Rurumu and, surprisingly, Ja’far can fully understand. From what he can gather, Sinbad is infinitely curious about this “place so dark you can’t see nothing” and the land on the other side full of “giant red dogs.”

He’s curious, but he’s equal parts nervous -- who even _lives_ in a place like that, _willingly_?! -- and a smidgen skeptical -- _giant red dogs_? Well, he has seen weirder creatures inside dungeons, but only in dungeons.

The incessant prattle suddenly breaks and a large yawn tears it way out of the tiny human’s mouth. “‘M sleepy...” he mumbles, slouching against Hinahoho’s giant head.

“We’re almost there,” comes the rumbling reply from the giant man himself.

“Then you can meet everyone else!” Vittel grins.

Judar’s eyes slide over to him in interest, but he remains little more than dead weight atop Hinahoho’s shoulders. Those same eyes widen with delight when they land on the Sindria Trading building. No sooner do his feet feet touch the floor than he tears off further into the building to explore, his earlier claims to be tired forgotten.

Vittel laughs at the scene, setting down the crate he’d been carrying, as do Hinahoho and Rurumu; Ja’far just looks annoyed and Sinbad feels inclined to agree. Although…

_“He doesn’t have any parents to speak of.”_

Sinbad isn’t heartless. He won’t turn away a kid that doesn’t have anywhere to go. He’s more annoyed at Yunan for creating this mess.

Judar makes short work of charming all of the employees, running around and babbling again, plopping himself in strangers’ laps without a care in the world, letting them coo and coddle him with that bright happy face of his.

“Attention whore, that one,” Ja’far snorts, before briskly turning and barking orders to unload the new cargo and get it ready to shelve and sell.

For all that Judar makes it a point to garner the attention of every single person under Sinbad’s command, at the end of the night when the handful of employees have decided to throw a welcome party for the new lil recruit -- it’s just an excuse to break out the alcohol and they all know it -- Judar plops himself quite firmly in Sinbad’s lap, mutters something about, “I like your rukh. ‘S powerful,” and promptly falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yunan, the travelling Magi of plot convenience. Ugo, too, a little bit.
> 
> So… this was honestly a test. I’m not sure how often I’ll be updating this since this I’m at a crossroads between letting this continue to follow Adventure of Sinbad or just skipping to the main Magi timeline and actually show the development away from the original plot.
> 
> I pulled most of this outta my ass with the simple idea “I want an AU where Judar was never kidnapped by Al Thamen.” Yunan was a plot convenience and Sinbad the first person I thought of to ship lil Judar off too.
> 
> I’ll continue this based off the kind of feedback I get, so, seriously, guys. I wanna hear what ya think.


	2. Step Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adventure of Sinbad is it, for the time being. Thank you to all who commented with your support!

Uncle Yunan taught him about the Magi and magic, not that Judar always cared to listen, often more insistent that, “I wanna go _outside_ ~!”

“But there’s nothing much to see outside.”

“Not _that_ outside! The _other_ outside!”

“Ah, you want to see the world,” Yunan mussed and Judar nodded eagerly though not fully grasping the concept. Anything must be better than the nothingness outside the door. “But the world is such a big place, it would be easy for little you to get lost.”

“But I _wanna_ ~!”

And so, most of their conversations would go.

Yunan hadn’t been a _bad_ uncle -- Judar knew the other Magi wasn’t his father, Yunan explained that the first time he’d called the man _daddy_.

“I’m not your father, Judar. Bad men tried to take you away when you were little and your parents died trying to stop them.”

“Die?”

“They’re gone; they’ve returned to the rukh and can’t care for you anymore.”

Judar hadn’t and still can’t fully understand the concept.

“So just call me ‘Uncle Yunan,’ okay?”

Judar, two at the time, tried to form the syllables and what actually followed was “Uncy Yu.”

\-- he’d been a kind but firm uncle, treating the toddler with gentle care but avoided over coddling the boy. Sin is a much more interesting uncle, Judar decides, even if he doesn’t want to be called that. He expresses annoyance when Judar randomly climbs into his lap, but never actually tries to push the boy off. And his rukh are strong and passionate, not the peaceful, boring ones that surrounded Yunan.

Yeah, he likes Uncle Sin a lot better.

Jaha will always scowl and hiss at him like some sort snake, “I’m already babysitting this thing, go find someone else to cling to,” gesturing to the over-sized infant on his back. But the others -- Vitti and Ruru and Hoho and more that he can’t remember the names -- always make time to cuddle and adore him when he tugs on their robes.

* * *

Judar is handful.

Yunan said as much, but now Sinbad can see it. The child always running about underfoot, demanding attention like a pampered, or maybe starved, cat. Then Judar will often babble about _rukh_ this, _rukh_ that. When asked what _rukh_ are, the boy offers a greatly unhelpful, “They’re the little birds that everyone has flying around them. Your-- your-- essence,” he stumbles around the word. And then, if that part wasn’t confusing enough, “When you die, you return to the rukh.”

Sinbad truly wonders how this kid understands a concept like death, but decides to forget he ever asked about _rukh_.

(It isn’t Judar’s fault he can’t explain the rukh. He just knows them, understands them in some fundamental way, but lacks the ability to shape that understanding into words, and can’t remember the exact words Yunan used. Something about a ‘great flow’ and ‘all of nature’.)

The most annoying part is Judar’s lack of respect for anything regarding authority. The kid has this quirk, Sinbad realises after the first few weeks, where respect directly follows admiration and that is the only way the boy will give it to you. Despite how it seems, coddling the boy alone won’t win you that kind of favor. Rurumu, however, achieved this feat over the course of a week or so with her strong motherly tendencies, but Sinbad thinks he has a faster way to gain it. After business one day, he pulls Judar aside and treats the child to a show of Baal’s power. When Judar’s eyes sparkle, Sinbad believes he has achieved his goal.

(The next day, Sinbad realizes an unforeseen drawback as Judar appears even more insistent to monopolize his attention.)

* * *

Jaha hasn’t come back.

He left with Kiki to go on walk -- that Judar was expressly _not_ invited on -- and they haven’t come back yet. Sin and Ruru went to go find them.

Judar isn’t worried, not really, but if something happened to Kiki, Ruru and Hoho would be sad. And maybe he is a _little_ worried about Jaha too, that small niggly feeling in the back of his rukh. Jaha is important to Sin, and Sin is important to Judar, so that makes Jaha important to. Judar never had so many important people before. It makes him feel giddy.

Judar won’t worry. Sin went to find Jaha and Kiki, and Sin is strong.

* * *

Jaha’s rukh feels _different_.

Blood trickles down the side of his face and the other side is turning purple, but Kiki looks fine, held peacefully in Ruru’s big arms.

But his rukh feels _different_. It _changed_ somehow.

Judar watches as Uncle Sin treats Jaha’s injuries, listens as Hoho and Vitti and Maha wander over and they take about things called _Djinns_ and _metal vessels_.

Oh. Judar has heard of those before. From Uncle Yunan. He squirms his way into Hoho’s lap to listen more closely.

Sin conquered two dungeons and obtained the Djinns within -- Judar _knew_ he was strong! -- and now Jaha became part of his ‘household.’ Judar don’t know what that means, but it sounds like Jaha can use the power of Sin’s lightning Djinn, Baal.

The rukh around Jaha buzz and crack similar to a part Sin’s rukh.

Ah. So that’s what changed.

* * *

Sinbad begins to regret his decision to show off Baal when he heads out for the market and Judar grabs at his robes, insisting to come along. The child has barely left his side apart from a few days ago when he and Rurumu had to go look for Ja’far and Kikiriku in the forest. Sinbad almost says no but, ah, what the hell. Let the kid get out, stretch his legs a little, soak in the sunshine; that pale skin of his desperately needs it, and Judar has stayed mostly inside since he arrived.

So Sinbad leaves for the market with Judar at his heels, one eye on the road and one eye on him to make sure the kid doesn’t stray too far when curiosity finally gets the better of him. Judar’s eyes shine as he takes in everything around him; the people, the buildings, even the stray cats.

To the kid’s credit, he stays by Sinbad’s side right up until they reach the market. Then he bounces around between stalls, examining this item and that, while Sinbad continuously reminds him to stay in sight. Turns out, shiny things fascinate the kid, and he gets scolded by several of the merchants for handling their product uninvited.

Once Sinbad finishes his business, sack of food and supplies slung over his shoulder, he turns to locate the child and finds Judar standing still at a stall farther down the road, staring intensely at an object in his hands. “Whatcha find?” he asks conversationally, stepping up next to the kid.

Judar turns to look up at him, and the small silver rod appears bigger than its actual size in his tiny hands, one end adorned with an over-sized ruby. The child says nothing, but his eyes say it all; he _wants_ it, and if the way his fingers curl possessively over the smooth metal says anything, they say that he won’t leave without it.

“I get it, I get it,” Sinbad mutters and asks for the price, digging out the gold coins the merchant desires. Really, an expensive toy for a kid, but damn it all if Sinbad doesn’t want to have that argument and Judar only asked for this one thing during the entire trip.

The merchant pockets the coins with a too-friendly smile and comments how compliant a brother he is, and Sinbad actually needs a moment to ponder that statement because he and Judar look nothing alike.

* * *

A wand!

Judar feels giddy at the thought.

He finally has a wand!

Uncle Yunan always told him how difficult magic is to produce without a staff or wand to help focus it. True enough when Judar still couldn’t produce a single spell in all the time he tried. But now he has a wand!

A giggle bubbles past his lips as he thinks of all the magic can do now.

He can’t wait to try it!

* * *

“Judar, _seriously_!”

Why can’t Jaha just leave him alone? Judar doesn’t wanna eat those stupid green things! They taste nasty!

“You’ll never grow if you don’t eat _properly_ ,” Jaha continues, all of his rukh flapping angrily, and Judar just wants Jaha and his stupid noisey rukh to _shut up_.

“NO!” he yells, flicking his wand and the liquid in a nearby barrel sails into the air.

The inhuman howl tears Sinbad away from his desk cluttered with scrolls, crunching the company’s numbers for the month. Pounding footsteps follow. The source leads him to the storage room and Ja’far , soaked and screaming at their young charge.

“--king brat! How did you even do that?!”

“I’m a _Magi_!” Judar proclaims from the stack of crates he climbed up to avoid Ja’far’s wrath, looking quite pleased with himself.

“What the fuck is a magi?!” Ja’far demands, his tone and choice of language something Rurumu would have scolded him for had she heard.

Judar’s smile doesn’t slip an inch, only grows brighter as he proclaims, “I get to choose _kings_!”

“What the hell does that even _mean_?!” Ja’far snarls, blades gripped too tightly in his hands for Sinbad to believe the ex-assassin _wouldn’t_ use them against the child.

“Now, Ja’far...” he edges in cautiously-- he doesn’t want to get cut himself.

“Don’t you ‘now, Ja’far’ me!” the boy snaps. “This brat dumped a barrel of wine on my head! _Wine_!” He jabs one of his blades at Judar, but thankfully doesn’t release it.

Sinbad could tell that from the smell and the colored liquid still dripping from the pale hair and staining Ja’far’s clothes. Rather than mention this, he settles for a more business like approach. “It wasn’t the wine we were planning to sell, was it?”

“What does that matter?!” Ja’far screeches, and his reluctance to answer at least assures Sinbad that he hasn’t just lost a profit.

Once again, Sinbad keep his choice of words business-like. “Clothes can be replaced more easily than lost profit.” Ja’far scoffs and Sinbad continues before the boy can scream again. “I’m not saying he should have done it, I’m saying there’s no reason for you to look like you’re about to slit his throat.”

Ja’far starts at this and looks down at his darts as if just realizing his death grip on them. Over Sinbad’s shoulder, he can see Rurumu, among others, standing in the doorway to the storage room. Slowly, very slowly, Jafar relaxes his grip on his weapons and returns them to their hiding place among the folds of his clothes. “I understand,” he replies in a calm albeit clipped tone, and brushes past Sinbad to be rid of the sticky mess. He doesn’t, however, get past Rurumu without a familiar thwack to the head.

Judar’s laugh rings in his ears, and Ja’far throws him a murderous glare, the one last act of hostility he’ll dare before disappearing from sight.

Judar hops his way down the stack of crates, but Sinbad catches him firmly before he can run off and get into gods know what kind of trouble. “How did you manage to dump an entire _barrel_ of wine on Ja’far ’s head?”

“With magic!” Judar grins, still unaware of the trouble he caused.

“Magic?” Sinbad’s eyebrows arch dangerously close to his hairline.

“Yeah! I got a wand now so it easy!” the child waves the object in question, and Sinbad suddenly realizes his mistake in buying it. He sighs deeply, splaying a face over his hand, before giving Judar the sternest look he can muster.

“No more dumping wine on people’s heads. Or any other liquid,” he amends quickly, realizing the loophole Judar would surely take advantage of if left open. The child pouts and Sinbad adds with an air of authority, “Next time I’ll confiscate your wand.”

Red eyes fly wide as Judar clutches the object close to his chest. “I’ll be good!” he proclaims and actually looks sincere for once.

“Good.” Sinbad allows himself a grin and ruffles the top of the kid’s hair. He sends Judar off with a pat on the back and returns to his desk full of scrolls with a weary sigh.

He isn’t dumb enough to believe that he won’t have to enact that threat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me three different tries before I finally decided how to handle 4-year-old Judar's magic. More antics to come next chapter. Please let me know what you think. ^^


	3. Step Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this done sooner than expected, but I had more than half of it written when I looked over my notes. The plot thickens. Please continue to comment!

After the incident, most involved wrote off Judar’s proclamation as childish nonsense, but no one who saw him _levitate wine_ could deny that the child was a magician, and presumably rather powerful for his age. While Sinbad didn’t completely dismiss the proclamation, he filed it away until he could get a better understanding of this _Magi_ business. If Magi really can _choose kings_ , that might prove useful later.

Also after the incident, other displays of Judar’s power become quite common. From levitating water to freezing it, and pretty soon everyone knows the kid isn’t normal. _Practicing_ , Judar calls it, but Sinbad just sees a kid that enjoys tossing his magic around. So far, that magic hasn’t extended beyond manipulating water.

* * *

Water magic comes as naturally as commanding the rukh. It’s the _other_ types of magic -- he _knows_ there are more, Uncle Yunan told him so, fire and wind and gravity among them -- that Judar can’t manage to accomplish save a few pitiful gusts of air, and he really wishes he could remember the formulas Uncle Yunan told him about.

(He can’t remember because he never listened, not that he remembers that detail either.)

It frustrates him, and he flops on the mattress with a huff. There has to be a way to learn other formulas, but no one under Uncle Sin is a magician and Judar doesn’t know anyone outside of the company.

Well, fine. If he can’t learn other types of magic, he’ll just become the best he can be at water magic!

He finds the way he can freeze it rather appealing.

* * *

When Judar manages to freeze Ja’far’s hair during another tantrum, Sinbad both confiscates his wand -- “Nooo~! I sorry~! I won’t do it again~! Give it baaack~!” -- and decides those plans for that diplomatic trip to Sasan sound like an excellent idea.

Get the two boys away from each other for a few months.

He purposefully doesn’t return the wand before leaving.

* * *

Judar spends the entire next day stubbornly pouting on Sinbad’s bed, the following day attempting to produce magic without his wand, and the next three he returns to pouting.

* * *

Well, getting thrown in a ravine, certainly wasn’t part of the plan -- how was he to know Queen Mira Dianus Artemina would react so negatively to the charm that had every other woman swooning? -- but it certainly had allowed for a unique experience, Sinbad thinks. That doesn’t stop the gratefulness that wells up inside him as he ties a piece of cloth into a makeshift robe.

Now, to recollect their possessions…

* * *

Ja’far and Mistros found their possessions easily enough after sneaking onto the palace grounds. But as Ja’far rummages through their belongings, he becomes increasingly aware of the absence of the metal vessels. Looks like Sinbad correctly assumed the queen would keep them close to her.

\--Shit.

Cold dread settles in Ja’far’s stomach like chucks ice as he realizes the absence of one more item; Judar’s wand.

* * *

Sinbad can’t deny the pleasure of correctly assessing that Queen Artemina wanted to keep the metal vessels near her person, or the pleasure of victory, as he reclaims the items and, to his surprise, Judar’s wand.

More surprising, Ja’far looks infinitely  _relieved_.

Eh, then again, Sinbad can’t blame him. He hopes he’ll never see the kind of tantrum Judar would throw at losing the object.

* * *

Uncle Sin has been gone for _ages_ . He left for a ‘business vulture’ or something to another country and left Judar behind which is so _unfair_ when Jaha got to go. If Judar had any real track of time, he might be inclined to label the absence as weeks or even months.

“I wanna go with Sin, too,” he pouts, not for the first time, kicking his feet against the crate he sits on.

Ruru chuckles motherly as she catalogues the new merchandise. “You’re still too little, Judar. You might get in the way.”

“But Jaha is little too!” Judar protests with a thump of his bare heel against the wood. He doesn’t like wearing shoes and Sin finally stopped trying to make him. “He not that bigger than me!”

“You’re only five, Judar,” Ruru replies softly, very much the patient mother soothing her child’s ill temperament. “Ja’far is 12. That’s a big difference.”

Another thump against the wood. “When _I’m_ 12, can I go with Sin?”

“Of course. You might even get to go sooner if you be good.”

“Really?!” Judar’s eyes sparkle.

Ruru smiles warmly and nods, humming softly. “I’ll be leaving soon too.”

Judar’s face falls. “ _Why_?”

“I have another baby in my belly. I’m going home to give birth,” she explains gently, patting the child’s head.

“Another baby?” Red eyes peek curiously from under black bangs.

“Yes. You’re going to have another little brother or sister.”

“Like Kiki?”

“Mhm. So be a good role model for them and behave, okay?”

Judar’s bottom lip juts out just the tiniest bit as he stares at the floor in thought. “Okay,” he finally relents and turns big red eyes back up to the woman’s face. “Is home really far?”

“Yes. Imuchakk is to the far north. The journey to and back will take a few months. But don’t worry,” Ruru smiles reassuringly as Judar’s pout turns into a scowl. “You’ll still have Vittel and Mahad to spend time with.”

“Vitti’s rukh been _weird_ lately,” Judar mutters, all jittery and jumpy, but Ruru only offers that smile again. None them ever understand when he talks about the rukh.

* * *

_Magi_ . There was that word again. The one Judar so carelessly threw out as he proclaimed himself as one; but now falling from the tongue of another dungeon conqueror.

“Excuse me, but...what exactly is a ‘Magi’?” Ja’far asks, voice wavering as he no doubt still reels over the revelation that this ‘legendary priestess’ of Reim is 200 years old and still kicking.

Yes, Sinbad would quite like to know that himself.

“A Magi… Even now we know little about them, but...” Artemina confesses, “they are figures found in legends around the world. They appear during critical junctures in history and direct the flow of the world, as well as countless lives. They have a special existence, and have been called ‘creators of the world’ and ‘choosers of kings’ due to their great abilities! That is a Magi.”

The gears in his brain spin so fast, Sinbad fears it might break. _Magi…_ Queen Artemina just gave him more information than Judar ever did, and his brain hurts to think that the kid could really be someone so powerful, no matter how much the kid liked to fling around water and ice. But…

_“...have been called…‘choosers of kings’ due to their great abilities!”_

_“I get to choose_ kings _!”_

If that’s true…

Judar could be Sinbad’s most powerful asset.

(Sinbad almost hates himself for thinking it, but he can’t _stop_ thinking it.

He is ambitious and selfish, after all.)

“Artemyra’s people have a special ability. Since long ago, we have searched for an explanation for that power, and we happened to learn a little about Magi along the way,” Artemina continues. “But, we still don’t know all the details. Magi have a power beyond human comprehension. For example, it seems that with a single wave of their wand, they can raise a ‘tower’ that contains the power to create a king, and then lead their chosen ‘king’ there.” The queen pauses momentarily for effect. “Doesn’t that sound like all the ‘dungeons’ that have been appearing around the world?”

Here, Sinbad’s mind swerves abruptly away from the child with dark hair, even as Queen Artemina continues to talk. _Magi… Dungeon… No way..._ The pieces click into place, as Sinbad remembers just _who_ convinced him to enter the dungeon in the first place.

_...Yunan?!_

Sinbad’s brain _swims_. It’s easy to believe Yunan’s a Magi after witnessing the man _flying_ through the air. What Sinbad can’t wrap his head around, is the very real probability that he’s met one Magi and _lives_ with another. Moreover, if Yunan is a Magi too, why leave Judar with Sinbad in the first place? Wouldn’t Yunan, a Magi himself, be more suited to raise a child Magi?

“Your majesty,” Sinbad finds himself asking through the mud of his mind, rising to his feet, “what kind of people are Magi?”

“Like I told you, we do not know anymore details,” Artemina repeats. “But if I had to describe them...” she pauses to contemplate before continuing with as much conviction as her earlier explanation, “I would say that Magi are those loved by the rukh.”

 _Rukh_ , that thing Judar constantly talks about and also couldn’t provide an explanation for.

“Rukh flow through the world and are the very origin of life.” Sinbad’s interests hit a level he hadn’t thought possible as Artemina provides that very explanation. “They are present in all living things, in nature; they are a pure existence. So, the Magi that receive the rukh’s divine protection...may be the personification of this world’s will.”

Sinbad is certain he feels the exact moment his brain breaks.

“The fact that dungeons have appeared worldwide, and the fact that we conquered those dungeons, even by accident… We may have been led to this point...by the will of something other than ourselves.” Finally, Queen Mira Dianus Artemina closes her long discussion and lets her last words hang in the air, before presently holding her hand out to the merchant standing before her. “That was a long preface, was it not? Anyway, you are the only man I can approve of. Let us form an alliance.”

“Thank you, your highness...”


End file.
